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P&HS Architects plays 'spot the difference' for Yorkshire showground

20 August, 2007 | By RW

Yorkshire-based practice P&HS Architects has resubmitted almost identical plans to a previously rejected scheme for a £10 million centre of agricultural excellence on Harrogate's Great Yorkshire Showground.

Last September Harrogate Borough Council turned down a virtually indistinguishable development for the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), claiming the proposed site for the offices, farm shop and café was an 'unsustainable location' and would contravene PPS6 planning policy (Council looks set to scupper Great Yorkshire Showground scheme).

However, a spokeswoman for the society said that the new 1,716m2 scheme addressed the planners' concerns about traffic sustainability even though there was very little difference between the design of the proposed building and the earlier iteration.

It is understood the authority's main fear over the 'showcase' project, originally conceived as the first phase of a larger five-year development programme including a new exhibition hall and hotel, is the economic impact of the scheme on the city's existing shops.

P&HS Architects hopes the revised project will allay the council's worries about sustainability generally. It has played up the building's 'green credentials' such as its sedum roof, biomass boler and natural ventilation.

The practice's managing director, Chris Potter, said: 'This is a significant scheme which has great regional importance and we are delighted to bring bespoke resources and experience to such an exceptional project. The proposed designs complement the unique setting of this development and its ecological credentials are unmatched in the area.'

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